The Governance of Solar Geoengineering: Managing Climate Change in the Anthropocene

Description

Climate change is among the world's most important problems, and solutions based on emission cuts or adapting to new climates remain elusive. One set of proposals receiving increasing attention among scientists and policymakers is 'solar geoengineering', (also known as solar radiation modification) which would reflect a small portion of incoming sunlight to reduce climate change. Evidence indicates that this could be effective, inexpensive, and technically feasible, but it poses environmental risks and social challenges. Governance will thus be crucial. In The Governance of Solar Geoengineering, Jesse L. Reynolds draws on law, political science, and economics to show how solar geoengineering is, could, and should be governed. The book considers states' incentives and behavior, international and national law, intellectual property, compensation for possible harm, and non-state governance. It also recommends how solar geoengineering could be responsibly researched, developed, and - if appropriate - used in ways that would improve human well-being and ensure sustainability.

Jesse L. Reynolds is an Emmett/Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, as well as an associate researcher at Universiteit Utrecht and a research affiliate at Harvard University, Massachusetts. He has degrees from Tilburg University; the University of California, Berkeley; and Hampshire College, and has been a US Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Graduate Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar.

'Reynolds has written the go-to guide to solar geoengineering governance. Sober, balanced, and comprehensive - essential reading for proponents and skeptics alike.' Daniel Bodansky, Arizona State University 'As we encounter increasingly severe climate change impacts, the world is likely to consider solar geoengineering. This book lays out governance considerations that the technologies would instigate. As Reynolds suggests, we should pay attention to these issues, including the necessary norm building and international cooperation, sooner rather than later.' Jane Long, former Associate Director for Energy and Environment, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 'Some forms of solar geoengineering (also known as solar radiation modification) would require unprecedented international governance. As interest rises in these technologies, governments and non-state actors should address the governance challenge now, before events potentially overtake. Reynolds' book is a timely contribution to a more informed global discussion.' Janos Pasztor, Executive Director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative and former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change 'Reynolds writes in an excellent, accessible style and provides a full overview of the relevant literature. His interdisciplinary approach, combining political science, law and economics is a welcome departure from the many 'singlediscipline' approaches to geoengineering'. Axel Michaelowa, Environmental Politics